Swiveled insulating bushing



Oct. 10', 1950 B. N. BowERs swIvELED INsULATmG BUSHING Filed-Aug. 1e, 1948 .In n f f n n fuif n n v r n n l n n n 4 l n n I i l v n r n n n 4 r 1 l.

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,o Q l/ l f Inventor:

ehJamiY Bowers, by His Attorney Patented Oct. 10, 1950 y Benjamin N. Bowers, Pittsfield, Mass., assigner .f to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Applicationnugust 18, 1948,'seria1No. 44,923 i 1 claim. (c1. 174-86) Y This invention relates to bushings and more particularly to an adjustable cap for a multiconductorbushing.

Normally a transformer bushing has only one electrical conductor` leading from the internal apparatus to an external circuit.. But ina bushing such as may be use'df'forcurrent transformer circuits one or kmore leads are used to conduct current in and out ofthe transformer or other apparatus. It is desired in this case that the terminal assembly or cap of-,the bushing (this cap normally` having terminals toallow for connecting to bus bars or other apparatus) should be of such a construction that it may be rotated to any particular position with respect to the bush- 'lng propel without affecting the position of the bushing in relation to the apparatus served.

This invention accomplishes the desired result by employing two bearing members having radially projecting flanges, one bearing member being fastened to the terminal assembly and the other to the bushing or to a hollow conductor within the bushing structure. Rotatably mounted on each of these bearing members is an annular clamping ring. Means associated with the clamping rings is provided for forcing the bearing members together. The terminal assembly is first oriented in its proper position and then the annular rings are clamped together causing the bearing members to be placed in intimate contact and securely holding the bushing cap in position. n

Itis an object of this invention to provide a new and simple means for rotatably mounting a terminal assembly on a bushing structure.

It is a further object of this invention to incorporate in such a construction means for securely holding the terminal assembly in the prescribed position once it has been aligned.

This invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partially in cross section of a portion of a bushlng incorporating an embodiment of this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the interior of a terminal assembly which may be associated with this invention. Fig. 3 is an enlarged `cross sectional view of a portion of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown therein, by way of example, a portion of a transformer bushing I of standard construction having an outer insulating shell 2, a centrally located 2 l hollow conductor 3 and concentric cylindrical insulators 4 mounted within the shell 2 and surrounding the conductor 3. kMounted abovethe shell 2 is a bushingk dome 5 which serves as an expansion chamber for dielectric fluid contained within lftheshell 2. A cover 6 `is placed over the dome 5, and separating, the cover 6 ,fromV the K. dome is a compressionspring assembly I which,

f Ihaving been displaced or compressed at the time of the assembling of the bushing I, serves to maintain sufficient central clamping force on the structural elements. of -rthe bushing, I Vto hold it rigidly together under operating conditions. Passing through the hollow conductor 3 is a cable 8 containing, in the illustrated case, three conductors which are fastened to the terminal posts 9, II), and II housed within the terminal assembly or cap I 2 which ismounted above the bushing cover 6. Extending from the -cap I2 and providing the means for making external connections are two terminal studs I3 and I4.

It can be seen that it may be necessary or desirable, depending upon the location of the external circuit, to orient the terminal studs I3 and I4, and thus the bushing cap I2, in a particular position. To allow the terminal assembly I2 to be oriented in any prescribed position a bearing member I5 is attached, as can be seen most clearly in Fig. 3, to the upper extremity of the bushing cover 6. A second bearing member IB is securely fastened to the bushing cap I2. The bearing members I5 and I6, which are substantially hollow cylinders, having flanged edges which are in contact with one another. Mounted on the flanged edge of each of the bearing members are annular clamping rings I'I and I8, which may be fastened together by a plurality of bolts I9. The clamping rings II and I8 are free to rotate about the edges of the bearing members I5 and I6. It can be seen from the drawing that after the bushing cap I2 has been placed in its prescribed position the bolts I9 which fasten the two clamping rings I'I and I8 together may be tightened and placed under tension thus compressing a gasket 20 and forcing the electrical contact surfaces of the bearing members I5 and I6 to be placed in rm, intimate contact, locking the bushing cap I2 in place. In Fig. 2 the terminal studs I3 and I4 are shown in one possible position of the cap I2 by their dotted outline and are also shown in a position corresponding to that in Fig. 1 by the solid lines. If the bolts I9 are removed and the cable 8 is disconnested from the terminals 9, I0 and II the cap 'within the electrical device (not shown). rachieve a series connection terminals 3 and I0 3 l2 may be removed from the bushing cover 6.

The cylindrical conductor 3 which is one of the four current-carrying leads (the other three comprising the cable 8) is electrically connected to the terminal post 2l through the bearing .members l5 and I 6 and the bushing cap I2.

It may be seen in Fig. 2 that terminals I0 and ll are shunted together as are terminals 9 and '2l thus presenting a parallel connection of coils To :are conductively fastened together.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention it will be obvious to those skilled vin the art that varr- 4ous changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the invention and, therefore, it is aimed in the appended claim to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In an electrical connector having an insulating bushing and an electri-cal terminal assembly wherein the terminals of said assembly are connected to conductors passing throng-h said bushing, an arrangement -for rotatably coupling said terminal assembly to said bushing, comprising, a hollow cylindrical bearing member secured to said terminal assembly and a second hollow cylin- 3o drical bearing 'member secured to fsaid bushing, said bearing vmembers bei-ng constr-ucted of electrically conductive material, each of said bearing members having a radially projecting flange, said flanges being disposed for electrical conducting Contact one with the other, an annular groove in the surface of one of said anges which is in contact with the other flange, a resilient gasket in said groove, the walls of said groove being of unequal height so that the higher one acts as a `stop for limiting the compression of said gasket, an annular clamping ring associated with each of said bearing members and adapted to engage said respective flanges, means for securing said annular clamping rings one to the other, said means placing said bearing members in compressive contact, an electrically conductive housing for said terminal assembly, said housing being con'ductively connected through said bearing members to one of said conductors passing through said bushing, and a plurality of insulated electrical terminals extending outwardly from said housing lperpendicular to the axes of said cylindrical bearing members.

BENJAMIN N. BOWERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the nie jof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

